Putting in an offer on a home (1st home)

[Brisco 132]

LugNutz, sorry to get off the subject.

 

Djg,

 

You bought a new home, they issued a CO then they tried to make you responsible for open permits from the old owner? That sucks. I deal with a lot of building departments, some good and some bad. New one on me. Did you file a complaint with state DCA?

 

 

Yeah - well, he's buying in Howell - where the above situation happened to me, so I was just sharing my real life experience. Many towns only check for a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, smoke detectors and CO detectors during their CCO (certificate of continued occupancy) inspection.

 

LugNuTz,

 

Good luck, and feel free to PM me if I could answer any questions in my area.

[ClangClang 14]

Regarding home inspections, there has been some good info in this thread and a bit of questionable info as well. I can recommend an excellent home inspection company: HomePro Inspections Inc in Teaneck, NJ.

 

Full disclosure: I am a family member of the owner Paul and worked for the company for 3 years.

 

ASHI certified, over 20,000 inspections performed, in business in the same location since 1987, fully licensed and insured, electronic reports issued on-site (no waiting), no affiliations with any Realtors (to avoid any conflicts of interest), etc. Paul is one of the most experienced inspectors in the state, hands down. Give the office a ring at 201-833-1818 for more information.

[n4p226r 105]

 

This is basically at the top of our budget on the price/taxes.

 

just remember. this is NJ. If its at the top of your price in taxes now, the taxes go up faster than most people's pay normally does. and with the housing market still on a down, it may be tough to flip in in a few years if it becomes too much. just saying because i had two family members that bought houses they could easily afford until the taxes went up 10k in as many years.

[Red Solo Cup 11]

just remember. this is NJ. If its at the top of your price in taxes now, the taxes go up faster than most people's pay normally does. and with the housing market still on a down, it may be tough to flip in in a few years if it becomes too much. just saying because i had two family members that bought houses they could easily afford until the taxes went up 10k in as many years.

Agreed, I would check when the last town wide revaluation was done.

Older houses tend to get dramatically screwed when these occur.

[diamondd817 828]

Make sure you don't use an inspector that is a friend of the real estate agent or recommended by. Find your own. And don't believe everything you read in the sellers disclosure.

[TheLugNutZ 21]

Really appreciate all the info here. Ill have to have a bbq lol

[djg0770 481]

LugNutz, sorry to get off the subject.

 

Djg,

 

You bought a new home, they issued a CO then they tried to make you responsible for open permits from the old owner? That sucks. I deal with a lot of building departments, some good and some bad. New one on me. Did you file a complaint with state DCA?

 

Brisco - it's the law that the permits remain with the property, not the owner. If a permit is not closed out (they rarely check when they do a CCO inspection) it becomes the problem of the owner of the property at the time the issuing authority figures it out. It's actually been in the Construction Communicator at least once... (newsletter issued with the Uniform Construction Code)

[AverageJoe 95]

Brisco - it's the law that the permits remain with the property, not the owner. If a permit is not closed out (they rarely check when they do a CCO inspection) it becomes the problem of the owner of the property at the time the issuing authority figures it out. It's actually been in the Construction Communicator at least once... (newsletter issued with the Uniform Construction Code)

 

Any good lawyer should never miss this...ever.

[tt-33 8]

the water is expencive in howell ive always been told.I have two home inspectors I can foward to you one from a networking group Im in and the other I do termite inspections for .if you still need a home inspector ill get you the numbers you choose who you prefer.if a termite inspection fails may be able to help you through it

[djg0770 481]

I lived in howell for 7 years. Expensive water was a myth imo. Or I was in an older development that somehow wasn't paying for the infrastructure of another development.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

I lived in howell for 7 years. Expensive water was a myth imo. Or I was in an older development that somehow wasn't paying for the infrastructure of another development.

 

Could be he size of the main going to the property, most times the larger the main the higher the cost per 1000

[tt-33 8]

ive been told by multiple home owners to bring my own water for termite and or power spraying do to the price of water mind you the state prefers me to drive around with an empty tank in case of a crash .the average home takes 50 to 100 gal of chemical

[Gorilla800lbs 12]

I hope am not too late with my own little advice. The inspector we used about 8 years ago is Vincent Gorgone from East Rutherford. He's still in business, below is his website link:

 

http://www.viewmasterinspections.com/

 

He was very thorough, checked for termites even though the owners really cluttered the garage, and checked for any work done potentially without the permits. He advised us of many issues which the seller was not obligated to fix, but which we should have fixed once moving in for our own good -- ungrounded outlets or no CGFIs where there should be, issues with insulation in the attic, A/C and air handler wiring and so on.

[TheLugNutZ 21]

not too late. we actually withdrew our offer on that home.

 

were looking at a larger 4br colonial w/ basement and huge yard (about a 1/2 an acre). They are asking about the same but it needs some updating.

 

Since we plan on being in the home for a while i think purchasing the larger home, with a basement and larger yard seems smarter, with some updating it can look exactly like we want it and it has all the added benefits I noted above.

 

My fear is buying a 3br and feeling like we need something bigger in a few years. The basement is huge potential not to mention a half acre yard!

[djg0770 481]

Candlewood?

[Dan 177]

with some updating it can look exactly like we want it and it has all the added benefits I noted above.

 

 

I stress to be careful with this logic. You may find yourself saying, "oh we can live with this kitchen for now, but we'll update it to what we want because we're getting the house at a great deal, and it has 'xyz' to look forward to". The bottom line is everything that you think you can easily update is typically 2X more difficult, and 3X more expensive then what you are thinking. Unless of course... you are handy/skilled at home improvements.

 

I speak from experience.

[Midwest 28]

Some points to consider

 

How old is the roof (how much longer before a replacement is needed)

How old is the furnace (how much longer before a replacement is needed)

Water heater (how much longer before a replacement is needed)

Taxes now

Amount of rate taxes have gone up in last 5 years, last 10 years

Is there a restrictive covenants that would prevent you from building something in the future?

Neighborhood Associations and dues?

Ordinances that prevent you from building something in the future

Ordinances that prevent you from working at home if the opportunity arises

What was on the property before the house was built?

What are the neighbors like?

Crime Rate

Access to major roads and highways

Why are they selling the house?

Town or County road maintenance during snow storms, do they plow the street on time (good, average,poor) ?

[TheLugNutZ 21]

Candlewood?

Yes, do you know the house I am referring to?

I stress to be careful with this logic. You may find yourself saying, "oh we can live with this kitchen for now, but we'll update it to what we want because we're getting the house at a great deal, and it has 'xyz' to look forward to". The bottom line is everything that you think you can easily update is typically 2X more difficult, and 3X more expensive then what you are thinking. Unless of course... you are handy/skilled at home improvements. I speak from experience.

I def understand. While I have SOME experience, I am by no means 100% comfortable with doing everything around the house. I am mechanical (work on the cars myself and stuff like that) but my wife told me last night, “I know you are mechanical hun, I just don’t see you as a woodworker” LOL! While certain things still need to be updated or updated again, the house isnt original either. So its mostly just to have an updated home, everything is functional as is... The main 2nd floor bath is original and aside from wall paper coming down/painting, and fencing the yard, that bathroom will be priority #1. The other 2 baths are updated as well as the kitchen (tho the kitchen is more of a minimal update and still has older appliances... I do realize what you are saying and we are def taking that into consideration. They are asking SLIGHTLY less than what a house of that size would sell for WITH updates, so we figure that, along with the fact that its been on the market for a while will put us in a better position to get a good deal on the home.. When I say “we can live with it” Im not talking about a stove and fridge from 1969, im talking about a kitchen that was updated say, in the mid-1990s, so its not the end of the world if it takes a year or 2 to save up for what we really want…

[Ronald Silver 2]

Yes, get a home inspector & get a reality check. It may or may not be bad.

Wonder real estate agents have to tell you if they know houses are haunted...

[djg0770 481]

Yes, do you know the house I am referring to?

 

No, but I lived somewhere near there at some point in the past. If you PM me I may be able to give you some background on that 'hood.